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Faster Flights Are Coming With New Satellite Tracking Technology (bloomberg.com)

Posted by msmash on from the coming-up-next dept.

An anonymous reader shares a report: The company that provides the U.K.'s air-traffic control service is taking a 10 percent stake in Aireon, a U.S. firm that's building a satellite-based tracking system and will offer commercial services to controllers starting next year. Aireon plans to use a constellation of 66 Iridium Communications. Next satellites in low Earth orbit to track aircraft. Iridium has 50 in orbit already, 47 of which are operational. Each carries equipment to offer aircraft position data to ground controllers.

Iridium plans to launch five additional satellites on May 22 from California, completing its full network later this year. Aireon said 70 percent of the world's airspace lacks satellite tracking or airline surveillance coverage, including most oceans and parts of Africa and Latin America.

5 of 34 comments (clear)

  1. Typical Summary by TFlan91 · · Score: 4, Informative

    Typical /. summary doesn't even include the reason for the headline...

    Aircraft currently crossing that pond report their positions every few minutes as they fly set routes, keeping at least 40 miles apart. Aireon said its satellite-based system could allow for 15 miles of separation on oceanic routes, making room for more planes.

    1. Re:Typical Summary by TFlan91 · · Score: 2

      Instead of flying 40 miles around another plane, they can keep it around 15 miles.

      It's the difference between the first lane on a race track and the 100th outside lane. That outside lane has quite a lot of ground to cover.

  2. Re:How? by Dantoo · · Score: 5, Informative

    Because in OCA you will be able to apply much more flexible separation standards, allowing a mix of speeds (closing), earlier climbs, later descents, less speed imposition at crossing points and just push a whole lot more aircraft through choke points without having to slow the whole lot down to the speed of the LCD.

    There's a shit-ton of ways that replacing 15 minutes with no closing longitudinal time standards, with more flexible distance standards free up the speed limits that are imposed now.

  3. Re:How? by kiviQr · · Score: 2

    It will be faster for couple years till market catches up. Same with car traffic add two more lanes more cars will drive - no change for individual.

  4. Re:Doesn't help when you're sitting on the tarmac by maglor_83 · · Score: 2

    >

    Is your anecdote more correct than mine?

    Yes.